Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
OUR REFORMED HERITAGE When a Reformed Christian hears “baptismal regeneration,” what comes to mind? “Heresy,” most likely. Unfortunately, many in the Reformed community today have lost touch with some important aspects of their own heritage. If Reformed theology is going to continue reforming according to Scripture, we must recover the…
Faith and assurance are recurring subjects of controversy in Evangelical circles. We all agree that we are saved by the righteousness of Christ reckoned to us, which we receive through faith alone. Jesus lived and died and rose again as the representative of his people so that all of them…
What’s at stake (or not!) for Reformed Pastors regarding the contemporary discussion of Paul and “the works of the law”? There has been a great deal of talk lately about “the New Perspective on Paul” and the works of, among others, Ed Sanders, James Dunn, and N. T. Wright. Each…
When Christ enjoins upon the young man the duty of following him (Mt. 19:23), he does not give a counsel, but a command to all in common because no one can have a hope of salvation unless he follows Christ (2 Pet. 2:21), although from a particular cause it is…
This short paper is not an attempt to provide a comprehensive analysis and defense of N. T. Wright, much less the so-called “New Perspective on Paul” as a whole. Indeed, Wright’s theological project has some failings and the New Perspective as a movement must be considered a mixed bag of…
Leviticus 1:3-13, Translation 3 If his Nearbringing is an Ascension from the herd, a perfect male shall he bring him near. To the forecourt of the Tent of Meeting he shall bring him near, for his acceptance before Yahweh. 4 And he shall lean his hand on the head of…
Showing page 239 of 309
Showing page 39 of 43
Treatments of Romans 7:7-25 are commonly massive exercises in missing the point. Readers pose questions that the text isn’t intended to answer, in particular: “Is the ‘I’ regenerate or unregenerate?” The passage isn’t about that. It’s about the law, and has two main aims: First, to vindicate Torah (vv. 7-13);…
Last week, I posted a critical response to David Bentley Hart's recent That All Shall Be Saved . Below, David responds. Well, Peter, let me give you credit for what you have not done. To this point, no reviewer who has written a negative piece on my book has actually…
There's a revealing moment in the "Second Meditation" of David Bentley Hart's That All Shall Be Saved . He opens the chapter with the comment that Christians must not make "any theological pronouncements in total abstraction from or contradiction of scripture" (92). He concedes "a certain presumptive authority" to the…
Romans 5-8 is arranged chiastically: A. 5:1-11: The justified have hope for glory in midst of tribulation B. 5:12-21: Adam and Christ: Adam's sin reversed C. 6:1-14: Death in baptism, deliverance from dominance of sin D. 6:15-23: Members as weapons of righteousness E. 7:1-6: Death to the law D'. 7:7-25:…
"What shall we say?" Paul asks at the beginning of Romans 6. "Shall we continue in sin that grace might increase?" This is typically taken as an "antinomian" objection. Paul emphasizes free grace. He's just said that grace abounds where sin abounds. He's heading off the false inference that we…
Ron Sider ( If Jesus Is Lord ) doesn't think the New Testament episodes about soldiers tell us anything much about the Christian ethics of war. He acknowledges that John doesn't tell the soldiers who come to him that they have to abandon their profession. BUt that doesn't matter, since…
Showing page 39 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
